Remote Learning’s Enduring Qualities

Executive Perspective

The beginning of the pandemic forced most school districts to pivot to remote learning. There was no other choice. As schools closed their doors and students were confined to their homes, the only delivery method was online instruction. As it became apparent that many students did not have access to a computer or internet access, districts were forced to rely on sending paper assignments to homes to provide some level of instruction. Over time, that practice did not become a feasible alternative.

Granted, the remote learning was problematic and, in some cases, chaotic. Most schools were not prepared or equipped for the task. Few teachers had been trained to teach online. The platforms districts used were incapable of supporting online instruction on a larger scale. Parents clamored to return their kids to school and teachers stressed out doing their best in a situation when largely unprepared.

With the approval of a COVID-19 vaccine last winter, the horizon brightened. By mid-spring, most districts were back to in-person learning and, with the development of a vaccine suitable for 12- to 18-year-olds, the outlook was optimistic. The Delta and Omicron variants changed expectations. Infection rates increased dramatically and a wide reluctance to get the vaccine contributed to schools closing and students in quarantine.

Self-Paced Progress

Seizing on the demands of parents to have their children in school, eight states forbid districts from implementing online instruction. As students became infected and quarantining became widespread, school closures were necessary and the option for remote learning was no longer available for those students. A small percentage of the student population did well with online instruction because it allowed them to make progress at their own pace. Those students wanted to remain on remote learning. Consequently, in states that did not forbid it, online academies have been established to accommodate them, some as extensions of the public schools and others run privately.

An EdWeek Research Center survey shows that last year more than two-thirds of educators reported their district used a hybrid model. For the current school year, that figure is down to less than one-fourth. In an Education Week op-ed piece, Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, wrote: “In a rush to return to normal and leave last year’s remote learning debacles in the rear-view mirror, states and school systems have thrown away a potential pandemic breakthrough: the ability to shift quickly and seamlessly to remote learning whenever they need.”

For the short term, remote learning needs to continue as the best replacement for in-person learning when school disruptions such as school closings and quarantining due to COVID-19 arise. Long term, hurricanes, fires and floods, snow days and sick days provide additional opportunities for remote learning to curb learning loss. Remote learning can also be used to accelerate learning after school, on weekends, holidays and vacations.

A Lasting Option

Separate from remote learning, online learning continues to be an ancillary component of in-person learning. AASA’s Learning 2025 initiative embraces the re-engineering of teaching and the personalization of instruction. Technology is a key component in that process, as teachers assign lessons on the computer that allow the students to work independently and proceed at their own pace, similar to those students that thrived during COVID-19 and requested to remain on remote learning. In an in-person setting, the student benefits from the additional support of the classroom teacher as well as all the other benefits of being in school.

Both personalizing learning and the effective use of technology will require the professional development of teachers. Often teacher training focuses on the technology rather than the instructional strategies that will maximize student learning. The Journal of Online Learning Research indicated only 5 percent of the nation’s teacher training programs offer field experience in online learning environments. Out of necessity, school districts have had to implement their own training programs for their current staff.

The standard one-shot professional development meeting is not sufficient to bring about the effective application of the technological tools available. The availability of full-time instructional technology specialists to assist teachers in the classroom as they implement online learning was highly effective.

Despite the problems encountered with remote learning, the pandemic has brought about a new era. Online learning, whether remote or in the classroom, is here to stay.